


Shot Through the Heart

by Starmiyus



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: Firsts, Gaming, Idiots in Love, M/M, Online Friendship, first person shooter, internet crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22074103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starmiyus/pseuds/Starmiyus
Summary: Their team was a small group of friends that all met through online gaming about a year ago, called “Seven”, despite having only four members. Ryosuke had been the one to suggest they go for the Japan gaming tournament, since they all loved playing games with each other and they were pretty good at this particular shooting game.They're finally able to meet in person for the first time, and Ryosuke is excited, especially to meet his internet friend crush, Nakajima Yuto.
Relationships: Nakajima Yuto/Yamada Ryosuke
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	Shot Through the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year with another YutoYama fic! Let's hope for more cute interactions with these dorks in 2020 😊
> 
> I have another longer fic I'm still writing that with the similar theme of gaming and online friendships/relationships but since I had two different ideas that I liked, I ended up writing both of them... I LOVE jump's obsessions with gaming and this whole idea is so fun.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading~

Breathe.

Just breathe.

Ryosuke carefully peeks from behind the wall he was hiding from, instantly retreating to safety when the enemy shot at him. There were two people on the opposing team left with one nearby, watching for any of his movements, and he was the only one on his team left alive. They were all depending on him for this last game. The wins were tied at two wins for each team out of five games, so whoever wins this game wins the match.

But it just makes everything so much more stressful, he thinks bitterly to himself, gritting his teeth. He’s running low on ammo and time with no idea where the other guy that’s out to kill him is. Whoever it is could be nearby as well for all he knows, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

“You just have to go for it, Kurusuke.” one of his teammates tells him through his headphones, clearly on edge. 

“I don’t think I want to hear that from someone who died early on, Sabonen.” he counters. “And I know that I have to go soon, they both know where I am.”

It’s now or never.

He inhales and exhales slowly, honing his focus on the screen. With quick presses on his keyboard, his character bursts out of his hiding spot, gunfire immediately aiming for him. With quick eyes, he locates the enemy, while getting hit a few times, and shoots his own gun, getting a headshot and watching as the person falls to the ground as their HP reaches zero. 

One down, one more to go.

Moving swiftly, he moves to collect the dropped ammo, but before he could reach it he was surprised by gunshots barely missing his character. Turning to his right, he catches a flash of his last opponent just slipping away behind a tree in the distance.

“Go get him, ace.” another teammate says.

Ryosuke grins as he collects the ammo and aims his gun towards the tree.

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

The moment the enemy popped his head from the tree was the moment the game was decided. Ryosuke had a much higher accuracy, only taking a few hits before the opponent went down.

“WOOOO!”

Ryosuke has to remove his headphones from his ears for a bit while his teammates cheered, the screen flashing “VICTORY” in large letters. It was a close match, both teams evenly matched, it was the semifinals of the championship after all.

Their team was a small group of friends that all met through online gaming about a year ago, called “Seven”, despite having only four members. There was Ryosuke playing as Kurusuke, Chinen as Sabonen, Keito as Keitoru, and Yuto as Yujikku. Ryosuke had been the one to suggest they go for the Japan gaming tournament, since they all loved playing games with each other and they were pretty good at this particular shooting game. They all worked hard to make it this far and the victory was so close they could taste it. 

“With this third win out of five, we’ve only got the final match left.” Keito breathes out. “I can’t believe we made it this far.”

“I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have made it here without Kurusuke here though.” Yuto laughs.

Ryosuke just laughs too, still not believing that he made it out of the 2v1 situation, his heart still racing from the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

“The final match is being held somewhere in Tokyo, right?” Chinen asks excitedly. “We’ll have to travel and sleep in a hotel, it’ll be the first time we all meet up in person.”

“That’s right! We’ll be playing in this large room with a live audience.” Yuto seemed like he was bouncing in his chair. “It’ll be extra fun.”

The final match is in two weeks, the competition pays for the travel expenses and hotel thankfully, so all the members will be able to stay in the same room. It’s nerve wracking to finally be able to meet his friends in person after just playing online games together for a year, to be honest, but he is definitely excited.

The four members get their congratulations from the tournament hosts, confirming that they will be playing in the finals, with more information coming later that night about who they would be facing and about the hotel.

The group decides to take a break, saying goodbye to each other before logging out of their discord voice call.

Ryosuke leans back in his chair, the last moments of the previous game replaying through his head, how it was too close for his liking.

They got lucky.

There was no other explanation for why they won, he barely had health left at the end and all it would've taken was a single shot to die. If the last guy had just aimed right as he was trying to get the fallen ammo, they would’ve lost their chance. They need to be able to do better if they want to win the finals, especially if the other team is _that_ team. The last year's champions that have been favored to win since the beginning of the tournament, consistently showing good skills and aggressive plays. 

Speaking of them, their semifinal game should be starting soon, they were against a pretty decent team, strong with little flaws. But those little flaws may cost them the game.

The stream takes a few moments to load up, the game starting just a few minutes ago.

Best vs Gamers.

“Oh I should get something to eat.” Ryosuke mumbled to himself, getting up from his seat to microwave some leftovers he made earlier. When he returns 5 minutes later, he nearly drops his food. 

Three members out of four on team Gamers were already down even though it had only been less than 10 minutes, with the favored team, Best, still having all four alive and in good health. Ryosuke frowned at the other team’s carelessness, that being one of their flaws. Games typically last for around 30 minutes each, so this one was going fast. The first game out of five ended rather quickly and uneventfully, with Best easily taking the win.

It’s clear who the better players are.

All he can do is observe his opponents, the way they move and work together, trying to find some sort of weakness, but they never show any. Team Best won last year’s tournament easily as well, Ryosuke’s team with some other friends not even coming close against team Best when they were unlucky enough to randomly face them early on.

But this year he got stronger and he has new teammates that he can trust more to have his back.

He gets a notification, someone dming him on discord.

_Yujikku: You doing anything right now?_

_Kurusuke: Just watching Best play_

_Yujikku: Of course you are. Video call me?_

Ryosuke grins, him and Yuto had some kind of habit of doing video calls with each other after a stressful game, just to calm each other down.

_Kurusuke: Yes I was waiting >< _

“Hi.” was all Ryosuke says when they finally connect to each other, Yuto’s face popping up in full screen.

“Hi.” he replies, a bright but tired smile on his face.

Ryosuke’s heart speeds up everytime he sees that smile, thinking it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. He’s always had a crush on his teammate, but figured it would be weird to have an online relationship, especially when they were both so awkward. 

“That last game was seriously too close.” Yuto sighs, leaning his head in his hands with his elbows propped on his desk. “Sorry we couldn’t support you until the end.”

“Nah, it was fine, one of them surprised us from behind near the start, messing up our rhythm and taking control.” Ryosuke shakes his head. “But we can’t make mistakes like that when we play Best.”

“It was that clear that they are going to win against Gamers? Though I’m not surprised.” Yuto frowns, nodding his head.

They open up the recorded stream of their match and go through it together, pointing out their mistakes and how to improve, even though they both know they’ll have to do it again with the other two members. Their conversation gradually gets off topic as they begin to talk about their days and what has happened since they last talked 1 on 1 like this, which was only just a few days ago.

“So, when are you going to arrive at the hotel?” Ryosuke blurts out, knowing in a couple days they would be allowed to move in.

“Hmm, sometime next week probably, I have a couple of photoshoots coming up.” Yuto responds, clicking a few times on his computer, most likely checking his schedule. He works as a model on occasion, Ryosuke can never tell him how hot he thinks it is that Yuto models _and_ games. “Don’t worry, I’ll make in time for the match.”

“Oh, okay.” Ryosuke tries to hide his disappointment that he won’t be able to see Yuto this week. “I can’t wait to see you.” he mutters absentmindedly looking a little dreamily at his screen as he imagines how it would be. 

“What was that? I was looking at my email.” Yuto focuses his attention on him, making him blush a little.

“Nothing big. I was just wondering when the others are going to go.” Ryosuke lies, looking away, but Yuto just shrugs.

“Probably around when I do next week, I think Chinen mentioned having something to do at least. Keito too probably?”

Well he definitely isn’t going to want to be alone in a hotel room for four people all by himself for a whole week.

They talked for awhile longer before they say goodnight to each other and logged out, the feeling of winning the semifinals still a bit unreal to him.

He’s nervous about the finals, of course, but also extra nervous about meeting Yuto, wondering if he’s as tall as he seems to be in his gaming chair or how pretty he is in real life. He's already so good looking in pictures and videos, it's unfair. Ryosuke sighs as he takes out a magazine in a drawer featuring Yuto on the cover. Yuto had jokingly told them to buy his newest magazine, and Ryosuke being him, actually went out and bought the thing without thinking. He had seen it in a shop near the register and picked it up just to look at it, planning on putting it back but the worker had taken it out of his hands asking if he was going to buy it, making him panic and say yes.

He didn’t tell Yuto and doesn’t plan on it.

Still feeling a bit on edge, he opens up a game to shoot some zombies until the late hours of the night.

~~~

Nervous.

Ryosuke sat on a bench at a park where their group had agreed to meet together before heading to the hotel nearby. It had been a week and a half after they won the semifinals, the time dragging on as Ryosuke counted the hours down. He was so excited to meet his friends that he got here early, closing his eyes as he soaks in the pleasantly warm air surrounding him, a slight breeze ruffling his hair. It was a beautiful Spring afternoon after all.

“Yama-chan?”

Ryosuke perks up at the familiar voice, sounding a little different since it’s not through a computer or headphones anymore.

“Keito!” he exclaims, standing up and wrapping an arm around Keito’s neck. “Good to see you.”

“Oh good, I didn’t know if you were sleeping and wasn’t sure if I should wake you.” he chuckles with relief. 

Keito. A soft hearted gentleman. While he doesn’t particularly seem like a gamer at first glance, he always puts his all into it, improving himself and putting his life on the line to support the team in the shadows. 

They were having a light conversation when they heard someone jogging up to them, turning to see a seemingly innocent shorter boy grinning up at them.

“Chi!” Ryosuke and Keito say at the same time as the three of them get into a group hug.

Chinen. A passionate boy, small yet full of energy and fire to win. Being quiet and sneaky characters that are quick on their feet, he easily takes down people before they could realise they're being attacked.

“Ryosuke! Keito!” Chinen smiles. “Now all we need is Yutti.” he looks around, trying to find their last member.

“He might be a little late, he got called in for a quick photoshoot this morning, remember?” Ryosuke lightly smacks Chinen’s head.

“Ah right I forgot.” Chinen smiles back innocently.

It feels a little odd to be able to talk to them and react like this, having such a different experience than when they do video chats. How they were able to physically touch each other. But it made Ryosuke feel so happy.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!”

The three quickly to turn to see a tall man heading their way waving at them, Chinen instantly running at him and jumping into his arms, surprising him as they spun a bit, but they just laughed.

Ryosuke was stunned in his spot as his eyes fell on the person he has had a crush on for months, sharply dressed and standing confidently. He definitely had a bit of makeup on, the light reflecting on his face slightly, making him glow. 

He really is somehow even more beautiful in person.

The man was busy apologizing to Chinen and Keito saying that he had rushed to the station as soon as his photoshoot ended, but when he made eye contact with Ryosuke, his smile widened and he headed over to him immediately.

Yuto. A serious yet playful man, having a talent for playing games with his dexterous fingers and quick learning ability. He is able to observe his opponents and quickly find where they are and their weak spots.

“Oh man, you’re cuter in real life than you are through a screen!” Yuto exclaims, giving him a tight hug.

“C-cute?” Ryosuke stutters, almost forgetting to hug him back.

When they break away, Ryosuke looks up at Yuto, realizing that he is indeed quite tall. But it was a good tall, the hug was perfect.

They stand together in a circle, unable to believe that they were here.

“Now that the dream team is complete, let’s head to the hotel room to drop our stuff off!” Chinen announces, heading in a random direction.

“Ah Chinen wait! It’s this way not that way!” Keito stumbles as he chases after him.

Yuto laughs next to him, and Ryosuke swallows as he tries to keep that sound in his memory bank.

“C’mon, let’s go after them Yama-chan.” he starts off to follow them, with Ryosuke on his tail, heart beating fast.

Finally, there was Ryosuke. The team captain with his ability to quickly strategize and draw out everyone's skills, bringing his team to victory. He is considered the powerhouse, with the most experience, with the best accuracy and dodging skills.

This team is a force that is hard to fight. 

~~~

“We have a few days like this where we can relax.” Chinen flops onto one of the two king sized beds. “And I call this bed.”

“Of course there’s only two beds.” Ryosuke mutters, setting up his computer. Since all four of them couldn’t exactly bring their whole computers during their stay here, Ryosuke volunteered to bring his and they could share it while they were here.

In the end, they did rock paper scissors to decide who was sleeping with who, and of course Ryosuke got paired with Yuto.

They settled their stuff down and of course took out their portable game consoles to play some games locally together.

“Did that shell hurt? It sure looked like it hurt.” Chinen nudges him, passing his character.

“You asshole, I’ll get you back just watch.” Ryosuke growls, getting a banana peel and sending it forward at Chinen, the younger crying out as it lands perfectly in front of him, his car spinning out of control.

While they were competing against each other, Keito takes the win as no one could hurt Keito.

After several rounds of races, they head out for their first dinner together at a restaurant they had passed by on the way to the hotel. 

As they were led to their booth, Ryosuke slid into one of the seats, with Keito on the other side. Yuto started to move to sit next to Keito, but Chinen had protested and insisted that he wanted to sit next to Keito instead, so Yuto ended up next to him.

Ryosuke squints a little at Chinen, who just stared back with wide and innocent eyes.

“It’s like our sleeping arrangements.” he shrugs.

Chinen had figured out Ryosuke's little crush on Yuto about a month ago and had confronted him about it.

_“I see the way you look at him when he talks.”_

But Ryosuke had pleaded with him to keep quiet about it until he feels ready to confess, which Chinen agreed, but that doesn't mean he was going to stop putting them in these situations to bring them together.

Just act how you normally are, he tells himself. 

Dinner was going by smoothly, Ryosuke throwing in a few playful touches here and there at Yuto, who responded by being touchy right back. He didn’t know what the line was and wanted to push it further but didn’t want Yuto to be uncomfortable or forced into this. Though, Yuto didn’t seem to be bothered at all, surprising Ryosuke.

“You guys seem like you’re having fun.” Keito chuckles, as the two argued over who’s meal tasted better.

They both blink a few times at Keito, before looking at each other and bursting out in laughter. 

“You’re right, it really feels like we’ve known each other for years.” Yuto grins. “Though I guess it’s only been around a year since we first met, right?”

“Mhm. But it just feel really comfortable, you know?” Ryosuke nods with a smile of his own, Yuto nodding in agreement.

It was like they just clicked together.

Once they finish their meal, they headed back to the hotel, where Yuto was allowed to shower first so he could get ready for bed since he’s been up since early that morning. As he gets into the shower, Chinen asked Keito to do some task, causing him to leave the room, leaving the two of them alone.

“So?” Chinen says casually, leaning against the wall. 

“So what?” Ryosuke looks away, moving his hand to his computer mouse to open a game, but Chinen was quicker, snatching it away.

“You know what, Ryosuke.” Chinen frowned. “Yutti. I know I said this before, but I see the way you look at him, and it feels more real in person. You look like you're in love.” he places his mouse back down.

Ryosuke sighs, scratching his head in confusion, it’s true that he definitely still likes Yuto, and judging from how dinner went, he feels like the feeling is mutual, but he isn’t completely certain yet.

“I don’t know, Chi, how does he look at me?” Ryosuke asks, curious if it’s the same look that he apparently gives Yuto.

“That’s for you to figure out.” Chinen shrugs in response.

As expected from Chinen.

“If you want to tell him, these next couple days would be your best bet.” he continues. “Look, just-”

Keito chose that exact moment to walk back into the room.

“That was fast, Keito.” Chinen walks towards him, leaving Ryosuke at his computer.

Yuto has also appeared from his shower, shirtless and loose pajama pants, his hair a little messy and still damp, a towel around his neck.

And Ryosuke just swallows and stares because damn, he looks good.

After the rest of the members shower and get ready for bed, they decided that after traveling and spending the day together, they were all quite tired, settling under the sheets in their assigned beds and turning off the lights.

Except Ryosuke can’t sleep.

He would prefer if a light was on, and having Yuto, who now has a shirt on (unfortunately?), around a foot away from him wasn’t helping, even if he was facing the other way from him. He tries to calm himself down, but it doesn’t work, wondering what he should do from here on out, sighing as he tried to weigh the pros and cons but still couldn’t decide.

He turns over to face Yuto, his breath catching in his throat as Yuto’s face was closer than he expected, a soft expression and he breathes deeply, signaling he was fast asleep. Ryosuke couldn’t help but smile, he’s seen Yuto’s sleeping face plenty of times when they would do late night video calls and one of them falls asleep during it, especially if he had a photoshoot that day as well, but it’s so different seeing the real thing, even if it’s a bit dark.

Ryosuke just stares at the beautiful person in front of him, unable to believe that this man was real, after only seeing and talking to him through a screen. Maybe he could've been some android or someone in a very good disguise, but he was just glad that none of those were true and that Yuto Nakajima was a real human being.

And they were in the same bed. Under the same sheets. Together.

Oh no.

Yet Ryosuke still feels calmer somehow, even though his heart is racing with his thoughts going wild in his head, scooting closer to Yuto’s body, now inches apart from each other. Yuto shifts slightly and an arm comes around his body, trapping him as Yuto pulled him flush against his warm body, his head resting on Yuto’s chest, feeling him breathe, another sign that he was a human that is alive.

“Yuto?” Ryosuke whispers nervously, looking up at Yuto’s face, only to see him still fast asleep. He tries to keep from laughing, not wanting to wake him up.

Sleepy.

He yawns a little, feeling his fatigue catch up to him, as he snuggles closer to Yuto, feeling warm and protected as he feels him breath, drifting off slowly.

~~~

“C’mon, let’s do something instead of sitting around.” Yuto was pacing back and forth the room. “I’m bored.”

“Yutti, we’ve gone out everyday for the past couple days, let us rest.” Chinen says without looking at him, focused on his game. “Besides, tomorrow is the big day.”

“And that’s exactly _why_ I can’t sit still!” Yuto complains, waving his hands around in the air. 

Ryosuke just sips his coffee, amused as Yuto tries convincing Chinen to move from the bed to no avail. The last couple days together have slipped by so quickly, with tomorrow being the finals match against team Best.

“I will never understand how you have so much energy.” Keito laughs also without looking up, playing against Chinen on his own console.

Oh no, Ryosuke thinks to himself as Yuto turns to look at him with big puppy eyes that he knows he can’t resist, but it was too late, they already made eye contact.

He can't get out of this now.

“Yaamaaaa~” Yuto shuffles over to where Ryosuke is sitting. “You’re my only hope left.”

Ryosuke pretends to think about it because he does want to spend more time with Yuto, but didn’t want to look too easy, before letting out a sigh.

“Fine, but we’re not doing anything that requires a lot of energy.”

Yuto’s eyes sparkled as he beams, nodding as he rushes to get ready as he yells back a thank you.

“He gave you puppy eyes didn’t he?” Keito finally looks up at him. “That’s why I can’t look at him when I know he wants something.”

“I forgot, okay?” Ryosuke rolls his eyes as he also needs to get ready to go out, but not bothering to change his sweatpants and t-shirt. “You sure you two don’t want to come?” he was hoping they would say no so he could be alone with Yuto, but at the same time it might be less nerve wracking if they were a group like usual.

“You two go have some fun.” Chinen smirks, a little glint of mischief in his eyes.

Ryosuke doesn't comment further.

The two head out, telling the other two that they would be back in time for dinner at least.

“So, what are your plans?” Ryosuke breaks the silence between them, even if it was a comfortable silence.

“No idea.” came the instant response. “But I just wanted to get out of the room, you know?” he flashes a grin at Ryosuke, making his heart skip a beat.

They somehow end up at the park where they first met, even at the bench where Ryosuke was first sitting, taking a seat next to each other.

“The game is tomorrow.” Yuto says, staring up at the sky. “I’d be lying if I said I’m not nervous.”

“Yeah I’m nervous too, but I think we’ll be fine, we’re a strong team.” Ryosuke tries to reassure him, raising his fist to the sky. “We’ll defeat them and take the championship. We can do this.”

“I’m just worried that I’ll hold you back, you’re such an amazing player.” Yuto says sheepishly. “You would be much better in a different pro team, like Best.”

Ryosuke blinked, not understanding what Yuto was saying.

“What are you talking about? I love Seven too much to find a different group. Also, you’re a great and smart player as well and you are always so observant and can notice our opponents when they’re hiding and you’re a great person and I can count on you and-”

“Hold on, Yama-chan.” Yuto interrupts with a laugh. “Please, I’m nothing compared to you.”

He feels embarrassed that he started rambling, but he wanted to let Yuto know how much he appreciates his gaming skills.

“I just… think you need to see how amazing you are, too.” Ryosuke mutters, looking at Yuto who seemed surprised.

“Well… you’re more amazing than me.”

“Nope, you are.”

“You’re perfect.”

“You’re more than perfect.”

“You’re… more than that.”

They both burst out laughing, their argument clearly not getting anywhere with both of them stubbornly not backing down.

“But seriously, Yama-chan, you really are perfect in more than just gaming.” Yuto rests his head on his arm on the top of the bench, watching him.

Ryosuke doesn’t know what to say, his heart speeding up as he feels a blush creeping up.

“O-oh yeah? Like what?” he meant to sound teasing, but it came out more high pitched and curious than he wanted.

“You’re the kindest and most hard working person I’ve ever met who cares more about your friends than yourself.” Yuto replies without missing a beat. Ryosuke opens his mouth to respond but he didn’t expect an actual answer like that. “And not to mention you’re drop dead gorgeous, even in real life.” he continues, studying his face.

“W-what?” Ryosuke stutters, his face probably completely flushed. “If I’m gorgeous then… then you’re…” his brain can’t think of the right words, his body screaming internally at the fact that Yuto, the model, just called him gorgeous. “Stunningly beautiful.” were the only words he could think of, but Yuto beams regardless.

“Really? You think so?” now Yuto blushes a little. “Funny, since I hear words like that thrown at me all the time for work, but when it comes from you it feels… good.” he laughs a little.

Ryosuke takes a deep breath, to try to calm himself down a little, trying to organize his brain just a little.

The time is perfect now.

“Yuto.” he blurts out, staring right into Yuto’s eyes, swallowing before continuing. “I like you. A lot.” he wants to look away from embarrassment, but he keeps eye contact, focused on how Yuto was going to react to his confession.

Yuto’s jaw opens slightly and closes a couple times, eyes widening, before breaking out into the brightest grin he’s ever given, so bright he’s sure it could blind someone if not him, and rushing to hug him.

“Oh thank god if you weren’t going to confess first I was about to.” Yuto wrapped his arms tightly around him, squeezing his breath away. 

Ryosuke felt safe in those arms.

“So this means you...?” Ryosuke was stunned, hugging Yuto just as tightly.

Yuto pulls away, placing his hands on his shoulders.

“Yamada Ryosuke, I like you. I’ve liked you for awhile now. Please go out with me!” he bows his head slightly, nearly colliding their heads together.

“Wait no fair! I was the one who confessed first! I should be asking you out!” Ryosuke pouts, whacking his head slightly.

“Ow.” Yuto looked up, rubbing the spot that Ryosuke hit, winking back, and Ryosuke just sighs, instantly forgiving him because he’s cute.

“But… Okay, Nakajima Yuto.”

~~~

“We’re back!” Yuto calls out loudly as the newly formed couple walks through the door.

“Welcome back! You both seem like you’re in a good mood.” Keito responds, smiling at them.

“Oh? What happened while you two were out?” Chinen jumps in front of Ryosuke, looking all over him.

With Chinen already suspecting something and peering at him like this, Ryosuke feels embarrassed, knowing he should inform him and Keito that their teammates are now dating. He's not even sure of what happened just a few hours ago was real or not, the new information not sinking in yet. 

“We went to the park where we met and then saw a movie.” Ryosuke tries to brush him off and walk around him, but of course that didn't satisfy Chinen.

“And?”

“And…” Ryosuke begins, not sure how to say that him and Yuto are dating.

“We’re dating now.” Yuto says simply, not noticing how Ryosuke glared at him for saying it so bluntly, even though he didn't know how else to do it. 

Both Chinen and Keito seemed to cheer, high fiving each other, Ryosuke feeling confused.

“Chi, you’re terrifying, it’s just as you said.” Yuto sits back in a chair. “He really did confess the day before the match.”

“Wait. You knew?” Ryosuke’s mouth opened slightly. “And Chi?? You _told_ Yuto I liked him? AND Keito?” he has no idea how to feel when Chinen didn’t tell him anything about how Yuto felt towards him.

“Oops. I forgot.” Chinen shrugs innocently. “It might’ve slipped out sometime.”

“I suspected something was going on between you two when we met up and asked Chinen and he told me.” Keito shrugs as well. "You two literally make heart eyes at each other."

Ryosuke moves over to the bed he shares with Yuto, plopping face down on it.

“I can’t believe this I hate all of you.” he mumbled into the bed.

The bed dipped to his side, a hand ruffling his hair, looking up to see Yuto smiling down on him.

“He didn’t tell me directly, but he said someone is probably going to confess to me the day before the match and I just felt like it was you.”

Ryosuke still groans out loud, getting up to lightly punch Chinen a few times, who playfully tried to defend himself but failed.

"If I didn't do anything, both of you would've never made the first move, you idiots."

He hates that Chinen's right.

That night, when it came to getting ready for bed, Ryosuke wasn’t sure how they were going to sleep. For the past couple nights, it was easy for Ryosuke to slip into Yuto’s unconscious arms after he’s fallen asleep, though usually in the morning they’ve parted from each other.

But his worries get washed away as Yuto pats the bed next to him under the sheets, inviting him. He lies down next to Yuto, instantly getting comfortable as Yuto spoons him, their bodies fitting perfectly together.

It felt even better knowing that they were both conscious for this, feeling warm and comfortable as if they were used to doing this for ages. 

“Goodnight, Ryosuke.” Yuto whispers into his ear, a shiver running down the elder’s spine even though he felt warm with Yuto's body heat flush against him. But he likes how his name sounds in that kind of voice, wondering how else his name can be said.

“Goodnight, Yuto.” he whispers back, never feeling so relaxed in his life as he drifts off into dreamland.

The next morning they would be found to be still cuddling.

~~~

“Ryosuke, you seem a little distracted? We need to be focused here.” Yuto says softly, a thumb gently rubbing circles on on his own hand.

They were in the break room at the location of the match, the live broadcast starting soon. Chinen and Keito went on ahead, leaving the two some time alone before they head out too.

“I know… it’s just…” he hesitates.

Yuto gives his hand a tight squeeze, never wanting to let go.

“I’m with you. And not just me, there’s Chinen and Keito and all our supporters. You’re not alone, Ryosuke.” Yuto says firmly, and Ryosuke couldn’t help but smile back, his hesitation leaving him.

“You’re right. Let’s kill this!”

The two walk near the stage, hearing the announcers doing introductions to the audience and also to the people watching the competition through the live stream. 

“I’m Inoo Kei and today I’m your host for our annual Gaming Tournament Championship! We have two strong competitors waiting behind the stage. Let’s make some noise!”

The crowd roars in excitement, waiting for the main event to start.

“There’s hundreds of people here!” Keito says nervously, peeking a little at the crowd.

“This is it boys.” Ryosuke announces to his group, motioning them to come together for a team circle. “We are going to win this match and be the champions!”

“YEAH!” they all yell, getting ready to head out into the spotlight, waiting for their cue.

“A team that was just formed a few months ago, and yet so strong! They keep showing us unique plays never seen before! Will they be the ones to take the championship today? With the ever so popular team leader Kurusuke, the heart throbber Yujikku, the cute but mischievous Sabonen, and finally the kind gentleman Keitoru, let’s meet these four boys, let’s hear it for team SEVEN!”

The crowd erupts in cheers as the four walked onto the stage, waving at the audience and flashing award winning smiles. There were more fans than expected, even some with signs and uchiwas.

It was an incredible feeling, but so stressful.

The four started setting up the computers with their own equipment, such as their keyboard and mouse, while the announcer introduced the opposing team.

“Playing against Seven is another powerful team, and this year they’re even stronger! Never losing more than two people on their team so far this year, there have been wonderful plays shown! With the pillar team captain, Yabunbun, the hilarious Pitan, the lady killer Yuyaseba, and the brave Daikingu, can they defend their title? Let’s hear it for last year’s champions, team BEST!”

If they thought the cheers for Seven were loud, then the cheers for Best are deafening. As the four members of Best walked out onto the stage, their presence hit them like a ton of bricks.

“Oof, we are 100% seen as the underdogs here.” Chinen winces, watching as the amount of signs more than doubling in the crowd for Best.

“It’s fine, we’ll do fine.” Ryosuke pats Chinen’s back.

They can’t give up just because fans like another team more.

All the players were given 30 minutes to make sure their setup was to their liking and get in some practice before the official match begins.

“Two upcoming.” Chinen calls as he tries to infiltrate the monster’s base, watching their movements as they leave their cave while the others find power ups hidden across the map.

Taking down the boss was an easy task, once the other three members arrived and ambushed him, shooting him down.

_Buzz_

“And time’s up for the practice! Let’s start this match up, shall we?” Inoo announces as the buzzer rings.

Just breathe, Ryosuke tells himself, trying to keep his hands from shaking, being in front of probably thousands of people watching makes him nervous, what if he messes up this important match? What if he lets his team down?

“Ryosuke.”

He looks up and over at Yuto, who was smiling next him.

“Let’s kick their butts, captain.” he winks, moving back slightly so that he could see Chinen and Keito also grinning back at him.

What kind of leader would he be if he was the one worried?

“Alright Seven! Let’s show them!” Ryosuke calls out confidently, his focus coming back.

And the first game begins.

“Watch out, remember they usually start out aggressive to take control, keep an eye out.” Ryosuke carefully checking his surroundings, trying to find a good gun fast.

He enters an empty house, finding exactly what he wanted and plenty of ammo, letting his teammates know the location as he hides in some bushes just in case. Yuto arrives first, picking up something he likes, but as he leaves the house he was shot at, luckily not taking enough damage to die, rolling away behind a tree.

“Tch. They must’ve known you would call us here and was waiting nearby. This house is too dangerous.” Yuto frowns, losing sight of whoever tried shooting them.

“It’s fine, at least me and you have something good now.” Ryosuke replies, sneaking around.

Chinen suddenly yells, his health bar emptying quickly.

“Grr they somehow got me. I’ll get that Daikingu next time.” Chinen pouts.

“It’s okay Chi, the game is just starting.” Ryosuke tries to encourage him.

“Ryosuke! Right!” Yuto calls out, Ryosuke reacting instantly as a bullet flies past his right side, turning and shooting down his opponent, Yuyaseba, who almost got him if it weren’t for Yuto.

“Whew, thank you Yuto.” Ryosuke feels slightly relieved, but it still wasn’t time to celebrate, it was now a death for each team, three more to go. But Yuto was low on health and if he doesn’t find a health pack soon he’ll go down easily. “He must have been the one that shot earlier.”

The minutes tick by slowly, the members gathering up boosts and watching every movement around them.

“I found two of them, Yabunbun and Pitan.” Keito whispers, as if they might hear his voice near them. Keito tells them their location, Ryosuke and Yuto rushing over as fast as they can. It honestly smells like a trap, but they have to take the offensive if they want to win.

As expected, as the two got closer, they were shot at, hitting Ryosuke a few times.

“It’s Daikingu! He’s nearby!” Yuto runs to catch up to him, shooting at each other as they run. In the end, Daikingu gets Yuto, but he got heavily hurt with Ryosuke following up behind Yuto.

Ryosuke crawls over, trying to find his opponent, but when he does, he was already getting shot at. He had to run, but then the gunshot stopped, looking back to see Daikingu fallen.

“Thanks Keito!” Ryosuke says.

“No problem, but there is another problem, Yabunbun disappeared.” Keito says gravely.

“No time, just kill Pitan.” Ryosuke responds quickly, moving to shoot at Pitan who was taken by surprise. He dies fast after both Ryosuke and Keito shot him.

But by doing that, they basically gave out their locations.

Ryosuke went down right after Pitan did, and Keito couldn’t handle a fully healthy Yabunbun when he was hurt already.

The first game went to Best.

“Don’t mind!” Ryosuke calls back, hoping that his team wasn’t discouraged, but he was faced with fire from his teammates, a desire to win.

“I don’t know about you guys, but…” Inoo, the announcer’s voice was now heard. “But that was an amazing game! Best may have won, but Seven put up a good fight, taking out three members of Best for the first time this year’s competition!”

Ryosuke takes some gulps of water, already feeling a little tired but he had to keep going, it was only the first game. 

In between games, there was always a 10 minute break where the game is reviewed in detail, and to give the players a little break.

The next game is long, with both teams playing it safe, not wanting to let the other team win. With the result being 2v0, Seven ends up taking the second game, the Best members underestimating the amount of boosts they had gotten before facing each other in an all out brawl.

“One win each! Bet they weren’t expecting that.” Yuto pumps his fist in the air.

“Let’s keep this up, guys!” Ryosuke stretches his wrists a little, feeling extra motivated that they were able to take a game from them, a first step towards victory.

The third game was a struggle, but somehow Chinen manages to be the last one serving, the last one to die was Daikingu, allowing Seven to take their second win in a row.

“One more win!” Keito and Yuto cheer, high fiving each other, the excitement rising in them, and also in the crowd.

“That’s what happens when you mess with me, Daikingu.” Chinen says smugly.

Three games out of a maximum of five played so far. If Seven wins the next one, they’ll win the championship and it ends there, but if Best wins then the last game will have to be played. It was exhausting having to be focused like this. It’s already been past an hour, and the match could possibly go for another hour.

The 10 minute break ends too soon still, and the fourth game begins.

“Okay, guys, let’s just keep this up, we got this and then we’ll win this.” Ryosuke declares.

Things were going well for the first 10 minutes or so… but while Ryosuke was picking a gun, he was caught in the middle of multiple gunfire lines, panicking as he tries to get at least one of them but he ends up dying without killing anyone.

“They went for me first.” Ryosuke groans. “And they’re back to being aggressive in the early stage of the game.” They must have decided that taking out their leader first would mess them up, but they’re underestimating them.

At least, that’s what he thought, but the other three members of Seven also got killed rather quickly, the fourth game ending with a quick sweep as all four Best members were still alive.

“That… could’ve went better.” Keito says confusedly.

“Everything was a blur, the next thing I knew I was dead.” Yuto shook his head.

Even Ryosuke didn’t expect that to happen, it all happened too fast. But this isn’t good, they’re tied for wins and there’s only one game left to take the championships.

The pressure is on.

“This is it, no more mistakes.” Ryosuke begins. “We’re not the ones who are pressured, Best is probably losing it after being cornered like this. We made it this far and we can’t give up now. Let’s give it our all like we always do and take the championship title away from them.”

“YEAH!” the other three yell out in unison with high spirits.

The final game begins.

“Judging from previous games, Daikingu should be arriving right about… now.” Yuto had his gun ready, shooting as Daikingu’s character appeared around the corner, not expecting to be killed like that. “He always gets impatient and tries to get the attention of the first blood early on. So predictable.” Yuto grins, collecting the fallen drops.

The first kill was theirs, Seven had control of the game.

“Ah. They got me.” Keito wails, as he gets ambushed by Yuyaseba and Pitan. “I got in some hits on them though, can’t go down without a fight.”

Luckily, Chinen happened to be nearby, killing Yuyaseba and escaping before Pitan can kill him. The two were onto each other, stalking their paths. After a while, they end up together shooting at each other without running. In the end, they kill each other, both of them falling to the ground.

“It’s only Yabunbun left.” Chinen sighs, leaning towards his screen as his camera follows Ryosuke. “It’s up to you lovebirds, now.”

“It’s 2v1, how bad can it be?” Yuto suggests jokingly, but he becomes serious, focused on the game.

“Stay together, we have more strength together.” Ryosuke instructs, the two of them walking back to back as they try to find the last enemy.

“My left!” Yuto suddenly calls out, shooting in that direction, Ryosuke responding and also shooting in the bushes. But Yabunbun had hid quickly, realizing the situation.

“Watch out!” Yuto’s character jumps in front of him, shielding Ryosuke’s character from gunshots as he shoots at Yabunbun, who had reappeared, trying to kill Ryosuke first. “Go!” he yells as his health reaches zero, Yuto’s character dying in front of him.

Ryosuke tries to get Yabunbun but he slipped away just in time. He swallows, taking what Yuto’s body had dropped, and leaving him, his breathing becoming uneven.

It was a 1 on 1 between the two team captains.

Yabunbun is surely following his every movement, trying to find the right opportunity to strike, he can’t let his guard down for even a moment or it could cost him the game. He just keeps moving, trying to confuse Yabunbun. He reaches an invisible wall, the edge of the map, unable to move further.

He got caught with nowhere else to run.

But Ryosuke just smirks.

“As if I’ll go down that easily!” as Yabunbun’s character appears, he presses a button on his keyboard detonating a remote control bomb he had planted earlier, Yabunbun taking the blast in the face, catching him off guard. 

Ryosuke wastes no time jumping forward, shooting at his enemy, trying to make the best of the opening he created. But Yabunbun had more health than he expected, recovering from the surprise attack quickly and moving away.

He clicks his tongue, hoping that the game would’ve ended with that moment, feeling exhausted from the high pressure.

This needs to end now.

He creeps slowly towards the rocks where Yabunbun hid, his gun ready. Every second felt excruciating, when is he going to pop out? From where? How much health does he have left? The questions kept swirling through his head.

Okay, he should behind here, Ryosuke hopes to himself. He jumps behind the rocks, taking the chance and shooting, but all he was met with was air. At that moment he was shot at behind him, Ryosuke instantly reacting and rolling away before his health reaches zero, but it was now dangerously low. He shoots back in the general direction, hoping to get him, but Yabunbun disappeared.

Ryosuke was at a disadvantage again.

He inhales and exhales slowly trying to calm himself down so he doesn’t make a careless error, moving in the opposite direction to go through the trees, his plan to circle around Yabunbun. He listens for every sound, the rustle of grass, the snap of twigs, footsteps, moving painfully slowly to make his character make as little noise as possible. 

After what felt like hours, Ryosuke finds his target, creeping towards a different direction, his back towards him. He aims his gun at his opponent’s head, keeping it steady to insure he doesn't miss these crucial shots.

“Got you.”

He shoots multiple times, Yabunbun not able to take the hits and falling down, dead.

There was a moment of silence where time seemed to freeze, before his screen flashes “VICTORY”.

“THAAAAT’S GAAAAMEEEE!” Inoo all but shouts into his mic. “The winners of the Japan Gaming Tournament is Team Seven! Let’s hear it!”

Beside him, his teammates jump up from their seats, pumping their fists in the air and cheering as they hugged each other. The audience also goes wild, a chant of “SEVEN” filling the air. Ryosuke was frozen in his seat, exhaling the breath he was holding during those moments.

“Ryosuke! You did it!” Yuto bounces next to him as he shakes his shoulders, making Ryosuke feel a little dizzy.

He really did it.

He stands up to give his boyfriend a proper hug, Yuto holding him tight enough that he could barely breathe.

“Ryosuke, can I do something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time?” Yuto grins widely, pulling away from the hug slightly.

“Depends on what it is?” Ryosuke replies curiously. 

But his question was answered with Yuto leaning down and pressing their lips together. His brain freezes for a moment before smiling into the kiss and cupping Yuto’s face to kiss him back harder, feeling the younger smile back.

Finally, he can taste Yuto, the kiss making his heart soar higher than the victory of the match just now, the only thing on his mind being the feeling of Yuto's lips moving against his.

This kind of victory is so, so sweet.

It would have been the perfect moment, except he became aware of the crowd going wild.

He pulls away in shock, turning to see the audience screaming and realizing that there were cameras pointed at them, thousands of people having witness their first kiss. Yuto just hugged him again tightly so he couldn’t escape, smiling as he just gave up and let this happen, Chinen and Keito giving him a thumbs up behind Yuto.

He’ll get him back later.

Or not.

**Author's Note:**

> I have too many things to write and finish help.
> 
> Anyways, thank you always so much for kind words and feedback is much appreciated! I'm going to try to be less awkward 🥰


End file.
